The Second Son Of Batman
by Deathstroke-Slade-Assassin
Summary: Batman finds a teenager stealing things from the Batmobile, and discovers that the boy has incredible potential. How will Batman respond when he has the boy turns over the fold, and how will Wonder Woman/Diana reel him in from losing control and getting back at those responsible? BMWW
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I just recently got back into DC, and i'm feeling in the mood to write a story. I do NOT own or in any way take responsibility for creating any of these characters (Except a few which I did create) And even though this is mainly just a fun way of passing time, I am also very eager to take advice from anyone who wants to give it, and will try my very best to take this advice into consideration. Thanks.

/

Batman stood hunched over in the darkness and waited. Crime Alley was always filled with criminals, and tonight was no exception. Not super-villains. Not combat trained thieves and gang members. Just petty thieves riding solo with no backing, financial or otherwise, for a little extra cash. He readied two batarangs and waited on the fire escape of one of the third floor apartments. The two thieves would turn the corner at any second. He hurled the two projectiles and was on his way towards them before they had even turned the corner. Each batarang hit it's mark, hitting both thieves in the direct middle of the forehead, before returning to his waiting hand. Batman tied them up and left them in an obvious location for the police to collect at a later time. He checked the time on his Heads-Up-Display. 3:26. Enough for one night, Bruce Wayne had a press conference in the morning and he needed a little sleep before then. He quickly headed in the direction of the Batmobile.

Batman reached the Batmobile quickly, only to notice that the sliding windshield/roof was open, and there was a person reaching inside, unable to see Batman approaching. The only other person to try anything as stupid as that was... _Jason Todd._ Unwilling to get immersed into those old and painful memories, he silently but quickly made his way closer to the vehicle, ready for any attack that might come. He had almost reached the Thief before he looked up at him, his gleaming silver eyes focused on Batman underneath his long, uncut black hair. He wore a ripped and very ruined black leather jacket, stained black jeans, and no shoes. The two stared at each other before, remarkably, Batman was taken by surprise at the thief leaping towards him in an extremely violent attack. His leg hit the side of Batman's head, HARD. Batman was thrown away at the force of the assailant, while the man ran off into the street. "Is he a meta or just some powerhouse?" He thought to himself. The man's strength was well within the human limits, but very uncommon for his relatively slim body type. Batman didn't waste any time before jumping up, closing and locking the Batmobile, and giving chase.

Batman caught up with the man very quickly. No matter who a person was, they couldn't outrun Batman's grapple-gun. Batman jumped off the roof of a three story building and using expert techniques, landed safely on the ground in front of the man. The man got into a very aggressive fighting stance and readied himself for the onslaught that came hand in hand when fighting the Batman. But the onslaught never came. Batman simply raised a powerful, highly modified military grade taser and pointed it at the mans chest. The man had no time to react at the very sudden change in tactics, and went down without a word, writhing on the ground. As Batman got closer he realized this was no man. He was a teenager, 17 years old or possibly younger. Batman took the boy's fingerprints and ran them through the Gotham records. No match. He tried Nationally, same result. Frustrated, he tried Globally and after a few minutes almost dropped the small PDA sized machine. He looked at the boy. Whoever this was, he either didn't or failing that shouldn't exist. He looked a little more closely at his face. He couldn't quite place it, but was sure that he had seen it before. He took a quick picture and sent it to Alfred. "Alfred, do you know who this boy might be?"

"Yes I do sir," he said back after a small delay. "This boy bears a remarkable resemblance to you at the age of 16." Batman couldn't believe it.

"Thank you Alfred, I won't be coming home tonight."

"But sir, the press conference..." his voice trailed off, realizing that his attempt to gather a reason out of Batman was in vain. "And where will you be staying?" he asked.

"I will be staying on the watchtower for tonight Alfred. And the press conference is of no concern, I'll sort it out later - most likely another crazy activity from Bruce Wayne."

"Very good sir. I will be awaiting your arrival within 48 hours." And with that, the familiar beeping of an active person on the communications channel died out. Batman pressed a few buttons on the side of his helmet before speaking again.

"J'onn, this is Batman I need a transport for two people up to The Watchtower."

"Batman, this is J'onn J'onzz receiving. Transport commencing momentarily." Batman picked up the unconscious thief and waited a couple of seconds. A blinding light appeared from everywhere at once for a moment, and when it disappeared Batman was aboard The Watchtower.

"Who is this?" J'onn asked, curious.

"Potential" Batman said as he left the transporter room and headed towards the reinforced medical bay. He put the unconscious teen into a one-way-mirror room reserved for interrogations of injured outsiders and for other unusual circumstances, of which THIS qualified. Batman left the room and sat on a chair on the their side of a one-way wall, eagerly waiting for the boy to wake up.

/

Diana was walking to her quarters which were located past the medical bay aboard The Watchtower. Ever since they accepted a large amount of new Justice League members, she had to walk almost twice as far from the training room to her own private quarters, which was annoying, but not much of a hindrance. On her way there she passed Batman, sitting on a sleek metal chair, looking into a secure one-way medical room.

"Who's that?" she asked him after stopping next to him, curious about the teen boy.

"He's a homeless teenager with a large amount of potential"

"From Gotham?"

"Yes," Batman said blatantly. "He stole some items from the Batmobile which is impressive on its own, but he nearly knocked me unconscious through one punch to the head. If I wasn't wearing my mask I probably would have been."

"That doesnt seem that impressive..." Wonder Woman said confused.

"It takes more than brute strength to put me unconscious through this mask. You need to know exactly where to strike."

"He knew that?" she asked a little more interested.

"Because I trust you'll keep this confidential, I'll put it this way, depending on his attitude towards crime I am going to consider adopting him." Diana was dumbstruck.

"That good huh?"

"That and MORE..."

/

Sooo... this is the first story I've written in a long time, but I am excited to hear what you guys have to say, and if you have a cool idea for a direction the story can go in, tell me and I'll put it in and give you a shoutout.

Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: It's great to see all the support I'm getting, even after just one chapter. I'm writing another chapter quite quickly as I am still excited about such a positive reception to my first, but I think that over some time I will be updating much less frequently. I will try my very best to add a new chapter once a week or more, but there are no promises. Thanks to those of you that reviewed, it's good to see that the community here is still as kind as it was the last time I wrote anything.

Also, I'm trying something new in this chapter where I'll have different sections of the story in the perspective of different characters. I've seen it done well before and it adds an extra level of depth to the characters, but I have also seen it done poorly. Please tell me in the reviews whether you like this way of writing, or the previous one.

/

*DIANA*

"So let me get this straight..." Diana began as she paced back and forth along a section of corridor outside the medical bay.

"You find some teenager stealing from your car, he punches you once, and now you're thinking of ADOPTING HIM?!"

"Yes." Batman replied from where he was, sat in his uncomfortable looking chair, quick and to the point as always.

"Would you care to answer why?" She continued.

"No"

"Well do it anyway."

"My reasons are my own Wonder Woman. When I first mentioned it to you two minutes ago you sounded ecstatic."

"I was, but-"

"But nothing. You only recently realized that you don't trust my sense of judgement enough to let me make my own decisions, about my own life."

"That's not true" she said, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger.

"Yes it is, we both know it." Damn. He got me on that one.

"I think that the rest of us should get a voice in this matter." She said, steering the conversation away from her.

"Why?"

"Because anything you do also reflects the league, and we can't do our jobs if the people down there don't trust us."

"You can, you just choose not to."

"That's besides the point. We need to test him, let him prove to us that he can be one of us. And based on what you've told me about your encounter with him, he doesn't have any powers anyway, how could he help us?" Batman stared at her, waiting for her to realize something. Whoops.

"Batman, I don't mean it like that I just-"

"No please, continue. Keep talking about how those of us without super powers, those of us that aren't metas can't help the league." He waited a small while, his expression serene and emotionless. "Do you want me to call Green Arrow, Speedy and Vigilante down here before you continue?"

"Batman please don't." she said, genuine regret shining in her eyes. She hadn't meant to bring up such a touchy issue, especially not to someone that was doing a hero's work long before she stepped foot on Man's world. He stood up abruptly and walked into the medical bay. She turned to follow him inside and continue the conversation but Batman stood in the doorway, blocking her entrance.

"No" Batman said flatly. Menacingly. Scarily. She would never admit it, but Batman could seriously frighten her sometimes. His usual Bat-stares don't really work on her as well as they do on everyone else, but in times like this she knew she was stepping on thin ice.

"Batman come on, you know I didn't mean it like that."

"Different reason," he said as he pushed a button to close the door, but Diana used her superhuman strength to hold it open.

"At least tell me the real reason you want to bring this kid into the thick of it." she said quickly as she struggled to stop the Wayne-Enterprises-built security door from closing. "Why do you want to let him into this world? What about him makes you-"

"BECAUSE HE'S LIKE ME, DIANA!" Batman exclaimed furiously. His deep, commanding voice booming throughout the medical wing. Realizing that he let some kind of emotion slip, he hit Diana in the chest with the bony palm of his hand, pushing Diana backwards enough that the door would close. Diana stared into space, Batman's cryptic words flying around inside her head. "Because he's like me..."

"What in Hades is that supposed to mean?" Diana muttered under her breath before flying to the monitor womb to listen in on whatever was going on in the medical bay. Anything big enough to make Batman lose control like that was worth following up.

/

*BATMAN*

Batman cursed himself for losing control like that, he needs to be more reserved in the future. He stood over the unconscious boy in the medical bay, sleeping away in a hospital-type bed with sturdy metal bed rails. The boy looked exactly the same as he had while they were fighting, the only difference being that now he had an IV in his forearm. The drug wasn't keeping him unconscious, only paralyzed from the neck down and a little woozy so he was more inclined to answer any questions once he woke. Batman didn't know the full extent of the boy's abilities and so he could take no chances. Batman turned to look at the monitor displaying the patient's vitals. Stroke and Tidal volume, breathing and heart rate. They all seemed normal and healthy. Then Batman was taken aback by the boy's gasp for air.

"What in the world?" Batman said to himself. As rare as it was, Batman was completely speechless. The boy was breathing very heavily now, and his wild, crazy eyes were jumping from one thing to another with a seemingly non-existing pattern. Then he noticed Batman.

"Get the hell away from me!" He yelled with a similar voice to Bruce's, one that sent a chill down Batman's spine. The teens eyes were full of fear now, in the place of angry confusion. The fight or flight response of adrenaline wasn't able to break him free from the paralyzer, so he could only watch as Batman walked up to the edge of the bed.

"Who are you?" Batman asked, his monotone voice showing no hint of his real intentions.

"I ain't telling you shit you freak." The boy said defiantly.

"Kid, I'm doing you a favor. I caught you stealing from the Batmobile, _MY_ car. It's either you answer all my questions or you find yourself in a jail cell."

"No jail cell could hold me." The boy said, trying to sound menacing. "And don't call me kid, I have a bloody name."

"I believe that you could escape any jail cell, but if you want me to call you by your name you should answer my question and give me a name to call you." The boy looked somewhat defeated before looking at the IV bag on his right.

"Bloody IV..." He said, as if he knew exactly what was inside it, and knew that it was messing with his brain function. He then turned back to Batman with an emotionless face. "Call me Will."

"Well then, Will. I need to ask you a few questions, but you have to trust me when I tell you I AM trying to help you, so answer honestly." Will looked like he could tell from Batman's voice that he was telling the truth.

"Fire away." He said with little enthusiasm. Batman cleared his throat.

"What happened to your parents?"


	3. Chapter 3

*DIANA*

Wonder Woman watched from an empty corner of the monitor womb as Batman slowly and quietly left the medical bay. She had made sure that the monitor she was using was out of sight, and that she couldn't be spied on, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

"Diana, what are you doing?" Wonder Woman jumped up so fast that to everyone else in the room she had heard an intruder, so they all immediately stood up and readied for a fight. Then she realized that it was only J'onn. She turned to everyone else in the room.

"False alarm, I apologize." She said with a friendly smile before sitting back down.

"Diana," the martians voice boomed inside her head, "I know that I shouldn't intrude without permission, but I cannot help but notice that you are spying on Batman."

'"Not necessarily on Batman," she "thought" back to him. "But on his activities regarding that boy he picked up."

"Will?" J'onn asked.

"Is that his name"

"Yes"

"Then yes, Will. I assume Batman has already told you all of his plans?"

"He typically does. He understands that there is no point in keeping secrets from me, as I will find out sooner or later." Diana couldn't help but notice there was a second meaning behind his words.

"Well then you know that I have to do this!" That time, she had almost said the words aloud. What a reaction that would have been.

"I am not trying to stop you, Diana."

"You're not?" Diana asked quizzically.

"On the contrary, I believe that this is the perfect opportunity to bring Batman out of the shadows. Spend some time with Will, and maybe Batman will have no choice but to ask you to help him train the boy, even though he probably should ask you to help do that anyway."

"And why do you think I want that J'onn?" She asked genuinely, attempting to discover his true intentions.

"Secrets, Diana, are not easily kept from a telepathic mind." Diana could almost hear his soft laughter in her head.

"Go, I'll make sure Batman does not interfere."

"J'onn... I don't know what to say." J'onn was willing to lie to one of the most terrifying men on the world, besides those that have abilities, in order for her to make her way into the Batman's life.

"Do not say anything. Act. Go now, get as much time as you can with the boy as I sense that Batman will return for him in due time." Diana wasted no time, leaping into the air and speeding down to the medical bay with a big smile on her face.

/ / /

Diana slowly opened the door to the sterile white room, making sure that she did not seemed excited or otherwise pressed for time. She walked around the bed in the middle of the room, to which Will was strapped to with thick leather straps and heavy metal cuffs. She pulled a chair from the laboratory bench on the side of the room and set in near the bed so that when she sat down, Will could see her face.

"Hello," Diana said with an inviting tone. "My name is-"

"I know who you are," Will interrupted. "Wonder Woman, Princess of Themyscira, also known as _Diana Prince_." Wonder Woman's heart raced. How did he know who she was? She didn't keep it as closely as Batman did but surely it wasn't this widely known.

"How do you-"

"Because I have seen you in Gotham before, at the charity events of the cities richest. And I NEVER forget a face. I checked the attendance and did my research but only just know knew it was you."

"You are being very open about your methods." Diana smiled, desperately wanting to make the boy like her before she left.

"I don't have a damn choice. Some kind of truth-serum the Bat mixed up." Diana's smile faltered only grew as she formulated a plan. She got up and walked to a nearby shelf and rummaged through the multiple chemicals stored within.

"The Batman is very hypocritical if he thinks that he should get the truth out of everyone, but not everyone can get the truth out of him." She found what she was looking for and turned back to the boy who was looking her way. "Everyone deserves to keep their secrets Will, and you are no exception." She brought the second IV over to the bed and began replacing them, knowing that the Batman would never suspect her involvement.

"What are you doing?" Will asked her.

"This," she said, shaking the new IV. "This is sugar and water mixed together with a small amount of painkillers. Batman uses it to trick people into thinking that they are being drugged when they really aren't."

"Placebos?"

"Exactly. I assume that you are naturally good at lying, so I'm giving you a sporting chance to keep some secrets for yourself, provided that you promise me that you'll share them with me when your ready to." She smiled at the boy again, excited at how this would play out. "The Batman has plans for you, and while I think that you should go along with them, it should be your own choice. Not his." Diana begun to walk out of the room, knowing full well that Batman would soon return.

"Wonder Woman," Will said from behind her. She turned and faced him as he looked at her with gratitude. "Thanks."

"That's the truth serum talking and I know it. Despite what you may think you and the Bat are very similar." Scarily similar actually...

"Even if I am being forced to tell the truth, and wouldn't usually say it, I am in your debt." She nodded at him, knowing that it would only wound him if she didn't accept. He didn't have much, but he knew that he owed her something, something she could collect on at any time.

"I'll keep that in mind." she said as she walked out of the room. And half way back to her quarters a flurry of excitement flew around in her stomach. "That was a good start," she thought to herself. "But what next?"


	4. Chapter 4

*BATMAN*

Batman was tired. He would never admit it to anyone. Hell, he was having a tough time admitting it to himself. But he was completely wiped. After interviewing / interrogating Will, he was called by Oracle to notify him of a medical drug manufacturer robbery by the one and only Killer Croc. Even though it was five-thirty and his patrol typically ended at four, he decided to take care of it. Once that was dealt with he then had to race back to the manor and quickly shower before taking a video conference call with a businessman from Japan, who was interested in possible trade options with Wayne Enterprises. And then he had a charity function raising money for one charity or the other, and soon after that Nightwing called and after brief hostility begrudgingly asked him to look over one of his cases in Blüdhaven, which he was in desperate need of a new perspective on.

"I've exhausted every resource on this case Bruce," he had said. "I wouldn't call unless it was absolutely necessary." Batman could tell by the tone of his voice that he was telling the truth, and that he was seriously annoyed with the circumstances. But even then...

"You should be able to handle these things on your own," he said bluntly. "You shouldn't have to, or get into the habit of relying on other people to do your job."

"I don't _rely_ on you. I am simply well-adjusted enough to know when I DO need help and when people's lives are on the line I don't mess around for very long before realizing it. I could bring up a dozen times you've needed my help and innocent people have almost died for it."

"Almost."

"And on most of the times you really did need me and DIDN'T ask for help," he continued, "Barbara made sure I as there anyway. No matter which way you look at it, she's your goddamn guardian angel. Something I do not have" At this, Batman had no reaction.

"Look over the damn case Bruce, and get back to me once you've got something. Until then, stay away from me. You're good at that, sitting alone in that damned cave..." And with that he disconnected the call, leaving Batman alone and in the darkness. Dick Grayson, the first Robin, his first son, was now so far away from him. Batman took a long hard think before heading off to investigate Nightwing's case. Everyone he let into his life was inevitably pushed further away than ever before. That, or they were taken away from him entirely. He shuddered at the thought of Jason Todd, lying peacefully in a wooden casket after seeing him die at the hands of the Joker - only to watch him die again due to an explosion of his own doing. If he DID let Will into this life, this darkness, would he end up regretting it? Was it worth that chance? Deciding he would get some sleep before coming to a conclusion, he head off to finish Nightwing's project before getting some well needed and well deserved rest. Awake for 47 hours was pushing it.

*DIANA*

Diana woke up with a jolt, her Amazonian senses screaming that there was danger nearby. She jumped into the air and hovered a couple of inches above her bed, her bed sheets now on the other side of the room. After a couple of moments she laughed at herself, and what any such intruder would find should they encounter her in this state. she wore nothing but a short, thin, (and rather see-through,) white _peplos_ and looked exceedingly ridiculous hovering above her bed in a defensive stance. She slowly floated back onto her bed and gracefully stepped off to change into her armor. Half way through tying the leather laces on the back of her red boots she heard a small noise outside her door. She turned so still that the only giveaway that she wasn't a victim of Medusa was the fact she wasn't the color of slate and stone. After a couple of seconds had passed, she felt subtle vibrations in the air, originating from her locked, armored door. Fearing the worst she flew silently into her bathroom and without locking the door, pried open the ventilation shaft for the bathroom fan and climbed in, replacing the metal grate carefully so it wouldn't fall. There she waited. Then a bright orange light surged through the shaft, blinding her completely. Diana knew that it was an explosion but strangely enough, there was no noise that accompanied it. She decided not to wait around and flew through the ventilation shafts throughout the Watchtower, breaking through the many security doors that Batman had undoubtedly put inside the shafts to stop someone from doing exactly what she was doing. While flying towards the control room, she yelled at J'onn as loudly as her brain could think.

"J'ONN!" A few seconds she heard the martian's voice in her head, but it was different. Instead of his voice coming from everywhere in her brain at once, it was as if he was shouting at her across a wide chasm - only *just* audible.

" _Diana?_ " He said groggily. " _Watchtower... Compromised... Assailants... Unknown..._ " Suddenly his voice got stronger and a little clearer. " _Protocol 18, and then make sure that Will is secure. He's the one they want. You're on your own from here on out Diana, they're about to-_ "

"J'onn?" she asked. "J'onn!" She waited but received no word. She stopped flying and thought about her options. Protocol 18 was a last resort protocol that drained the remaining power within the watchtower and transported any and every individual NOT of the Justice League to a secure and inescapable facility designed to hold even someone of Superman's power levels. This was especially effective at keeping people out of the Watchtower as after it is initiated, the teleporter has no power available and so enemies cannot use it to re-enter, if that is how they got on in the first place. It was definitely necessary. However, the command center would be in the most heavily guarded section of the watchtower and she would need backup in order to get there. She had to assume that she had no Justice League backup as that's what J'onn had told her, but maybe she could get backup from somewhere else. If these intruders were after Will then they would be surrounding his location, but the isolation medical bays where he was standing were designed to be impenetrable - from inside, or out. If she could clear out the intruders from Wills' isolation cell, then she would essentially have Batman by her side to help get into the command center. She smiled and flew off in his direction.\

*"Ahem... Page Break"*

*DIANA*

Diana lay flat inside the ventilation shaft in the medical bay, waiting for a good opportunity. Every now and then one of the intruders, clad in black Kevlar and shiny black helmets that left no part of their skin visible, would look at another, as if in conversation, but no sound could be heard. Then a thought occurred to her. She cupped her hands in front of her mouth and whispered "hello," but she couldn't hear anything. Interesting, these people have some seriously advanced tech that can absorb all sound within a given area. That's why the explosion in her room had made no sound. She assumed that they could hear each other talk through their communicators, but not anything else in the room, so she prepared herself to jump down and strike.

An instant before she was going to however, she was taken aback by one of the intruders flying across the room. Then Will was all over the 6 odd men, armed to the teeth with Automatic Rifling, tactical knives and even some grenades. She could see the muzzles of the intruder's firearms flashing with each bullet fired, but everything was still dead silent. Eventually the flashing stopped and Will walked into view and started to take the armor off of one of the intruders and put it on himself, piece by piece. Diana jumped down and walked over to tap him on the shoulder when he spun around and hit her, open palm, square in the chest. She flew back and hit a shelf of medical syringes which fell to the ground and smashed with no sound. How had he known she was behind him if he couldn't hear it? Looking worried he ran forward and made sure she wasn't injured. His lips moved but Diana looked at him quizzically. Realizing the dilemma he turned and rummaged around the unconscious bodies strewn across the floor. Finding a metallic and delicate looking cube with wires and bits of metal and electrical components sticking out, he pulled one wire from its socket and asked her again.

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." At this he smiled slightly, before realizing that now that he was free, she was technically his enemy. His smile was replaced by an actually very menacing scowl. With Batman, outside the mask he was a very non-threatening man. But this boy...

"Don't try and stop me from leaving. I'll take you down and walk over your broken body."

"I didn't come here to stop you from leaving, but actually to ask for your help." He stared at her intently. "I need to get to the control room to teleport all of these vermin off the watchtower so that the rest of the League can recover and get ready for another fight if they need to."

"You can't do that on your own?" He asked.

"No, Will, I can't. I need your help."

"Is this your one favor?"

"No. But you don't exactly have a choice anyway so you might as well." His scowl grew.

"Fine. Lead the way."

"You going to use one of those?" She asked him gesturing to one of the guns on the floor.

"I don't DO guns." Will how- WELL how about that.

"OK then. We'll take the ventilation shafts there and drop down from above." He nodded exactly once and jumped up, grabbing onto the edge of the square opening in the ceiling and pulling himself up. "Hey, one question though." His head appeared in the square opening.

"How did you know that I was behind you, and how did you know how to disable the sound absorber device?"

"One of the conditions of replacing the IV was that I would share my secrets with you when I'm ready. I fully intend to, but those ones I am not ready to share." And with that he again disappeared from her view. Diana chortled as she whispered *very quietly* to herself.

"Not ready to share YET."

*"Another page break, though believe it or not its still"*

*DIANA*

From where they sat, huddled and looking out through the thin gaps between the steel bars of the shaft grate, they each silently counted the 20 or so enemies that they would have to fight. Diana began to formulate a plan in her head. She was about to whisper her thoughts to her less than enthusiastic partner, but he beat her to it.

"See how they're all grouped around that central console hub? If I throw a couple of stun grenades in that general direction then you can get to the main console controls and initiate the right protocol?"

"Yes, but it takes time to bypass all the security measures. The only person able to get through them instantly is J'onn, but he is nowhere to be seen." Will looked intensely at the scene before them.

"How long?"

"Forty seconds at a minimum, a minute and a half at maximum."

"I can buy you that much time."

"How?"

"They wanted me, right? I'll lure them away from the console and down onto the lower level where there's more cover. If you're stealthy and unseen then you can activate the security protocol before you're seen."

"You're not worried about yourself at all?"

"They won't touch me."

"If you say so. Dropping in ten." He nodded and got ready while Diana prepared to punch out the grate and counted mentally in her head. 3... 2... 1...

"Go!" The grate exploded and hit the far wall with a dull thud, indicating that there was no sound depression in the large chamber, and Will jumped out. He fell the 20 feet necessary, kicking one of the intruders in the back of the head with his heel on entry and landing with a roll. He then got up alarmingly quickly and took on all the combatants within arms reach at the same time. The rest of the intruders in the room yelled a battle cry and charged at him. Slowly, the crowd of people moved to the edge of the floor, and even more slowly transferred onto the floor below. Diana flew quickly and quietly towards the main console and begun working on the security locks. Her fingers flew across the keys at a literal super (meta) human speed, but she still estimated that it would take around a minute. Slowly the yelling around her died down to only a few people. 30 seconds now.

"OK, I'm done." Diana jumped in her skin at the boy now calmly peering over her shoulder at what she was doing. The only person she knew that could sneak up on her, meta or not, was Batman. This kid was a mystery in many ways.

"20 seconds."

"They'll regroup and come back for us before then. The protocol gets everyone off the Watchtower right? The only way it could do that in a helpful way is if..." His expression turned urgent, and determined. "Stop what you're doing. I can't let you do this." He started pushing her away from the controls, getting his own hands on the keyboard and pausing the final seconds of security unlock.

"What are you doing!" She yelled, nudging him away from the console. The two were almost full on fighting now, Diana trying to resume the process, Will was trying to stop it. Will then angrily turned to her and shouted furiously.

"If you do this then I'll-" his deep voice was cut short by a widespread pulse of electricity that was released from a single point, aimed in 360 degrees from one of the intruders now climbing a ladder to reach her. Will was put instantly unconscious, and there was no way he could have avoided it, but he had also shielded Diana from the blast. Returning her attention to the screen, she clicked two keys and the process finished. A bright light erupted from everywhere at once as the hidden teleporter panels within the floor buzzed to life. The light dimmed to complete and total darkness, only a faint blue tint as the backup and life support generators fired up. All the intruders were gone. Will was lying at her feet, unconscious but breathing. Diana left him there and flew off in search for the rest of the League that was most likely unconscious and tied up somewhere.

Once J'onn was awake and well, he scrambled the teleporter codes so that the intruders couldn't regain entry to the Watchtower once the teleporters were back online. The two of them then went around checking the condition of the rest of the on board League members. On the most part they were fine, only a couple had serious injury sch as broken bones and light bullet wounds. Finally, they put Will back onto a medical stretcher and tied him down, attaching an IV bag with a very heavy sedative into his right forearm. He awoke once the needle was in and thrashed and raged within the bed. J'onn held the needle in place so it didn't move with his crazed movement, but it got to a point that Diana thought that though he wouldn't break the thick steel cuffs on his hands, feet, chest, and head, he might break the bed itself. Eventually, after a long time for a mortal human, the sedative took its toll and Will became placid and calm.

"What was all that about before you fell unconscious?" Diana asked Will accusingly.

"That protocol transported all non league members off the watchtower, right?" he asked in a weak voice.

"Yeah, so?" Will turned to the martian.

"I doubt that she knows... but I think that you do."

"Doubt that I know what?"

"How, even though I am NOT a league member, I wasn't transported off the Watchtower alongside the intruders." His eyelids began to droop. Diana found understanding in his question.

"You figured out that if I did that, then you would have been taken with them, wherever they went..." Diana became very confused. She too turned to J'onn. "Why didn't he?" J'onn sighed. His hand elongated to bring a chair over from 10 feet away.

"Sit down." he said. She did and he looked down at her. "He didn't get teleported because his genes are so similar to others in the league. He is essentially a relative... specifically he is the offspring." Diana's eyes shot wide open.

"Batman?" she asked. J'onn nodded and Will's mouth hung open as he fell into the swirling storm inside his own mind. Diana looked at this unconscious teenager, the son of the Bat, with awe.

"Does Batman know?" she asked.

"He suspects, and asked me to do a couple of tests which is how I know, but he doesn't yet know for sure." Diana nodded with understanding. She begun to stand up, but the Martian's hand on her shoulder got her to sit down again. "That's not all Diana."

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"He has more than just one blood tie to one member in the league." Diana waited eagerly for J'onn to finish. "As well as being Batman's son, he is also yours." To this, Diana was completely speechless.

"That... That's my SON!?"

*_~*_~*_~*_*Authors Note: SOOOOOOOOO yeah. Sorry for the extremely late update, I made it quite long because of my not updating in such a long time. I had practice exams the last two weeks so I didn't have a whole lot of time. Anyways, let me know any and all of your thoughts in the comments, because I am very eager to hear them. Thanks a bunch!


	5. Chapter 5

*DIANA*

"How did this happen!?" Diana shouted almost accusingly at J'onn. She and J'onn had finished taking Will back to the medical wing, now out of isolation. They did, however, leave the sedative in and active. Despite everything, Will had actually escaped through his own methods, because in swapping his IV bag for placebos Diana had also taken him off sedation. Sure, he wasn't _really_ an enemy, but he had the potential to be a very dangerous individual.

"Believe me Diana, I do not know. If I did, there would be no hesitation in telling you." The Martian's attempt to calm her was failing miserably.

"If my mother ever found out..." Diana shuddered at the thought of her mother's fury at her having a child. "What are we going to do?"

"I know that this may not be the time, but perhaps Batman would have a few ideas as to how this child came to be." Diana turned and stared long, sharp daggers at the martians face. J'onn did not flinch.

"If Batman DID know anything, he wouldn't tell anyone anyway."

"If I know anything about what?" Diana turned around so fast that it was only Batman's ridiculous reflexes that stopped him from being completely clothes-lined by the Amazon's arm.

"By the goddess... You really have to stop sneaking up on people like that."

"What do I not know anything about?" Batman asked her.

"Nothing, it's a personal matter." Batman's eyes drifted from her face and onto J'onn's.

"It's about the DNA paternity test isn't it." J'onn looked down, defeated.

"Yes."

"OK then, so I am this boy's father..." Batman paused for exactly one second. "The only way that this COULD be a personal matter for you is if..." His eyes shot straight up to meet Diana's. Diana tried hard to not let any emotion escape through her eyes, but her eyes betrayed her and looked down in surrender, hiding from the Batman's gaze. Batman found understanding in the subtle movement and waited for her to say something. She did not. "J'onn," he said. "Get out." The martian took his leave. Diana sat down in one of the chairs next to the teenager's bed.

"How...?" She said, utterly confused.

"Diana, that boy is 16 years old. You haven't even been in Man's world for that long."

"Then how?" She said, now frustrated.

"Diana calm down. Your emotions are all over the place and it ISN'T helping. Believe me, I'm not too happy about it either."

"Oh please, you were going to adopt him after he hit you once. You're glad he exists."

"Not anymore." Diana looked at him, appalled.

"I don't mean it like that. The fact of the matter is, that kid LOOKS 16, but that's impossible. So not only did someone collect our DNA and grow him in a glass tube, but they also had the technology to accelerate his growth. Those intruders were meant to be untraceable mercenaries, but the Question looked into it and found that they had all been hired within the week by the United States Government." Diana's eyes widened.

"Do you know who hired them?" She asked, calm yet still somewhat confused.

"Think, Diana. Who do we know that is a part of the US government, could have the technology to accelerate infant growth, has the skills and the means necessary to hack into the Watchtower transporter, AND would want to get the child of Batman and Wonder Woman into their custody, perhaps BACK into their custody?" Diana looked up. Her eyes were full of determination, intelligence, and anger. Pure anger, raw and unforgiving. When she spoke, her voice was cold and full of hatred. Diana could _feel_ the venom dripping from her lips, but she didn't enjoy it's bitter taste.

" _Cadmus_." She spat. Batman nodded.

"Cadmus." He confirmed. They looked into each other's eyes, just another one of those light speed conversations that took place in their heads. No words were spoken, but they both knew what needed to be done. This, Diana thought, is the reason they worked so well together. The unspoken understanding they both shared.

"We need to talk to Waller." She said, finalizing their game-plan. Batman nodded. They both walked out of the room, the same pace, the same stride. Batman quickly went to input the correct codes for the location that he knew Cadmus was located. While Diana waited, she got the attention of one of the "mortal" staff members.

"There's a boy in Med room 3. The codes to get in is M-145-239. I don't care who does it, but he is in desperate need of a haircut. He's dangerous though, so make sure he's sedated - take one of the medical staff with you to make sure." Diana hated the fear that she saw in the poor woman's eyes. This wasn't her style, cold and menacing. She took a breath, smiled a friendly smile and tried again.

"Look, he might be the son of Bruce Wayne, he really needs to look presentable when he is sent back to Gotham, even if its to be put in a mental institution that - believe me - isn't Arkham." The woman smiled back and nodded before speeding off to get Will a well needed haircut. Diana laughed at the irony of her statement about Bruce Wayne, knowing full well that it was true. Batman finished up and called her over. They stood on the Transporter pad and a bright light erupted from the ground which, when faded, showed no evidence that they were even on the pad in the first place.

*WILL*

Will's eyes drifted open extremely slowly. He knew who and where he was, but he did not know that date, or WHY he as here. It seemed no matter where he went people just wanted to tie him down to one thing or another and poke him with long, cold needles. But truthfully, he didn't mind. It was the only life he had ever known. He didn't know what it was that made him escape from the Cadmus compound just outside Gotham. He didn't know how he knew how to fight better than most. He didn't know how he came to exist. But he knew that he did exist, and he really liked it. * _snip snip*_ He tried to move his head to see what the noise was, but he was unable to. Probably another of the aforementioned needles. Sedation. A man entered his view. Will's vision was blurred, but he could see that the man was wearing a long white apron and holding a pair of scissors. His hair was grey with streaks of white, but his smile looked friendly.

 _"Is... Is he cutting my hair?_ " The man leaned over him and Will could feel the man's fingers on his forehead. The man brought the scissors to the long, jet black strands of hair that fell in front of his face. * _snip_ * Will could see bits of hair fall away, but then he was able to see much more clearly. " _Never cut my hair before,_ " he thought to himself. " _I should start doing that from now on. I can see a whole lot better..._ "

"Wow..." the Barber noted. "Sharon I think you're right when you said this might be Wayne's kid." " _Bruce Wayne?_ " He thought to himself, picturing the idiot billionaire from his kind-of hometown: Gotham. A woman's voice, presumably Sharon's could be heard from behind Will's reinforced bed.

"I told you! Wonder Woman said it herself." The barber looked down at Will and frowned.

"I think he's awake." He said. "Can you... I don't know... put him back under? You said that he was dangerous right?"

"I'm not dangerous unless I'm around people that want to hurt me." Will's deep voice startled both the old barber as well as the medical staff behind him. "And I don't think you want to hurt me. Keep going. Make me look like my dad, he'll love it." Will didn't know of any possible family connection he had to Bruce Wayne, but if this man thought he looked like him it was worth checking out once he got out of here. It might even _help_ him get out of here...

"Uhhh, yeah. Sure, no problem kid. What's your name anyway?"

"Wayne." Will answered back, putting on his most Bruce-Wayne-like smile. "Will Wayne."

"Will as in William?" The man asked.

"God no, I hate it when people ask that."

"Just Will?"

"Yes."

"OK then. I'll grab a picture of Bruce to get the look right, I'll be back soon." The man disappeard from his vision. Will frowned. He had pictured the whole " _Wayne. Will Wayne_ " thing going a lot better in his head. Stupid barber ruined it by asking about his name. Dammit. The woman from before, Sharon, walked up to his IV back and turned a knob on the tube counter-clockwise just a small amount, before looking at him, expression empty.

"I don't know who you are, but I don't like you. I wanted to have a look at how "dangerous" you were. So I looked at the surveillance footage. You took out over 50 of those intruders. I highly doubt that you aren't already thinking of a way out, but you were tied up and sedated for a reason. So I apologize if you are ACTUALLY a victim in this, but I want you out of it until a senior league member comes to take you away. Your a full-blown lunatic, and you deserve to be treated as such. Goodbye." Will could feel the increase of the cold sedative running up his arm and into his body. He could feel the little strength he had leave him. He fell into the vast depths of his brain, he felt like a boat on an ocean during a storm. Rising and falling with the raging tide. He turned his thoughts to the skies above and mentally shouted at whatever gods may exist before falling into the void for the hundredth time in his three month life. " _WHY ME?_ "

*BATMAN*

The two heroes had gotten into Waller's private office and where waiting for her to arrive to have their little "chat." Batman was hanging from the ceiling using a grapple gun that he had specifically designed for use in this kind of situation. He had been hanging there for quite a while, but he knew his muscles would not let him down. Wonder Woman however floated in mid air, bored out of her mind. An echo of footsteps found its way into the room. With each step becoming more and more clear. Then the door opened and Amanda Waller walked into the room. She sat down at her desk and booted up her personal computer, which had to go through the hundreds of decryption processes necessary. Batman knew Diana was looking at him and waiting for him to make the first move. He said nothing, but released the metal mouth of the grapple hook from the ceiling, putting the grapple gun into his belt before he even reached the ground. He landing on Waller's desk, utterly destroying the monitor which exploded into bits of glass, metal and plastic. Diana floated down and readied the Lasso of Truth while Amanda Waller stood mouth open in shock.

"What the hell are you doing here Batman! How did you even know where-" She was cut off by Diana throwing the lasso over her head and tightening the loop so Waller couldn't move.

"Stop talking." Diana commanded, and Waller obeyed. She turned to Batman and held out the other end of the Lasso. "I know you hate magic, but it only forces her to answer the questions that *I* ask her. If you hold the Lasso instead of I, then she must answer YOUR questions, not mine." Batman nodded and took the free end of the magical golden thread before staring deep into Waller's soul.

"Have you ever taken samples of Diana and my DNA?"

"No." she answered smugly.

"Have you ever ordered or asked someone to get samples of Diana and my DNA?" Waller tried not to answer, but the magic of Hestia was undeniable.

"Yes." she answered coldly. Batman took a moment to formulate the right kind of questions. He had prepared himself for the possibility of Diana using the Lasso on him, so he knew many ways to answer a question so that no secret information was taken. Waller had obviously done the same, answering his first question technically truthfully, as she had not taken the samples herself. Batman needed to word his questions very carefully, and very specifically.

"Where were the DNA samples taken Geographically?"

"Just outside Gotham City."

"Is there a Cadmus compound outside any part of Gotham City, closer than 10 miles from the city limits?"

"Yes."

"Is it underground?"

"Yes."

"What were the DNA samples used for?"

"They were used to create a life form."

"Did this life form call itself 'Will?'"

"Yes." Batman looked at Wonder Woman, waiting for her to process this information. She took a deep breath but urged him to continue.

"Is there any DNA left?"

"No."

"What was the intended purpose of this life form?" Waller looked at Bruce with dark eyes.

"To serve as a contingency plan to contain or kill any and every member of the Justice League."

"How could a 16 year old boy take out the entire Justice League?" Diana exclaimed. "It's insane!"

"I may not have to answer your questions, but at this point it really doesn't matter because it'll be taken eventually anyway. You and the rest of the League are DANGEROUS. YOU are the insane one if you don't think that the league needs kryptonite of it's own. Will was designed to BE that kryptonite. We woke him up three months ago and begun subtly brainwashing him."

"We went through all this already Waller." Batman said. "You admitted that creating Justice League contingencies is wrong."

"No I didn't. I admitted that letting Galatea and the Ultimen clones storm the Watchtower was wrong. The league still needs a safety measure in case they go out of control." Batman sighed.

"Believe it or not Waller, I DO agree with you." Diana gasped.

"Batman what on ear-"

"Wonder Woman don't be daft. We have seen firsthand what happens if the League goes out of control. We DO need something to stop us." Batman then turned to the Captive. "But creating the most dangerous person on the entire planet is not the way to do it."

"He's not that dangerous," Waller said. "He's human."

"So am I, and I've never been beaten."

"You've never had Superman after you."

"I have, and he wasn't up to it." At this, Amanda Waller was speechless. Batman turned and, without letting Waller see, pulled out a medical syringe. He then spun round and plunged the syringe into the older woman's neck, which then made her fall unconscious. She would wake up in her chair after about 20 minutes not knowing what happened, and the security systems had an electrical malfunction so as far as she knew, Batman was never here.

"Diana we are leaving. I've got everything I need." Diana nodded. "I'm going to the cave to get into the surveillance of that Cadmus compound, find out exactly what they've done to Will, but I want you to take Will to the manor and let Alfred get acquainted. He'll be staying there from now on." Batman walked to the one window in the room and opened it, stepping onto the window sill.

"Batman, wait." Batman stopped and turned his head round slightly to indicate he was listening. "If Will is going to be staying at the manor then that's where I'll be staying too." Batman fully turned round and glared at her, displeased with her comment.

"What for?" He asked her.

"Because I am his mother. He may not have grown inside me but I am still that boy's parent, and I will not be left out of his life."

"Diana that's ridiculous. You can't seriously expect me to believe you're that protective abou-"

"Stop." He did, but only because he was shocked at the fact that someone had actually stopped him mid sentence. He wasn't used to it, and for good reason. "I really must put my foot down here Batman. You will not deny me the right to be a significant part of my son's life. This is happening, deal with it. Where he goes, I go. And since we both know that the only place that Will can live and be truly accepted is at the manor, that is where we will both be." Batman looked dumbfounded. Never before had he been in this sort of dilemma in his life.

"Diana, I will not stop you from doing this, but I urge you to reconsider. You know what my life entails, are you sure you really want to be a part of that?"

"Without a doubt."

"Very well." Batman didn't like the situation, but he knew that Diana could be as stubborn as people thought him to be. It was their nature, just one more thing that they had in common. "You won't like it very much though," he said before jumping into the darkness.

*DIANA*

Diana walked into the medical bay where a sedated and unconscious Will was sleeping. He had gotten a good haircut though, looked almost like, no... EXACTLY like Bruce. She dialed down the sedative and waited for him to come to. He did relatively quickly and looked at Diana instantly.

"Diana." He said tiredly.

"Hey," she began. "I'm going to be-"

"Diana, I'm Bruce. Will got out, took me out and swapped clothes with me." Wonder Woman frowned.

"If you're really Batman then you would understand the need to actually confirm that." She said, seeing right through the "intelligent" young man's plan. To be fair though, he's been under sedation for about 48 hours so his rather bad plan can be excused.

"Wonder Woman to Batman," she spoke while holding the communicator in her ear. with her index and middle fingers.

"Batman here. What is it?"

"Tell me something Will wouldn't know."

"You love Ice Mochas'?" he half asked half said. "This is because Will got a haircut to look like me and says that I'm him and that I swapped clothing with him, isn't it?"

"Yes indeed. Good guess." Batman only grunted in annoyance before turning off his communicator. Diana turned to Will.

"Nice try."

"Was worth trying anyway," he said, tired and defeated. "What were you going to say?"

"I was going to say that I'll be taking you to your new home. You'll be staying at a secure, safe location where you will be treated as a guest, not a prisoner. Although, I will say now that if you try to escape we WILL have to imprison you."

"Where?" he asked.

"You'll find out soon enough." That comment earned a groan from the delirious teenager. "I know, I know. Now, I am going to have to put you unconscious again, just for a little while. But I promise that it is going to be the last time, for a LONG time." He looked at her, bored of the lies that he's probably been hearing his whole life being "raised" by Cadmus. Diana reached down and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I promise." He was falling into unconsciousness, but Diana could see the hopeful smile on the boys face before it went slack. " _Living with Bruce Wayne._ " she thought to herself. " _This is either going to be really fun, or really challenging._ " Either way though, she was very excited at how events could turn out. For the first time, Diana really contemplated the idea of being a part of a family. Bruce, Will, and her. She smiled, and couldn't help but worry about how her mother might handle such news.

" _Lady Aphrodite_ _, grant me a happy life with the man I love._ "

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

In this eternal void, the dark god was in agony. He had been in agony for centuries. There was a moment, one single shining moment where he almost escaped, but his chances were cut down by the Amazon. The _Wonder Woman_. Even in his agony he laughed at the irony. There was nothing wonderful about her. She was his demon. He wanted her to suffer. And then, a voice. A voice echoed in his mind. Clear as day.

" _Lady Aphrodite_ _, grant me a happy life with the man I love._ "

"No, Diana." The dark god thought. "I will not." And he laughed. "When you share your thoughts with the gods, you share your thoughts with ALL the gods. I will NOT let you live a _happy_ life with the man you love. I will show you pain and suffering. I will not take him away from you, but will turn him against you, and you will spend the rest of your days fighting him! Endless suffering. Endless agony!"

And the dark god laughed.

" _LORD HADES WILL NOT BE DENIED_ "

*Authors Note:*

Soooooooo, yeah. I'm sorry if this seems a little rushed, 'cause it was. I am super excited about writing stuff again. And yes,you can expect some more * _ahem*_ older-people-material in the chapters to come. This was kind of just a set-up chapter to get the ball rolling with some other ideas I had lying around in my brain. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this. And if you don't tell me what you didn't like and I'll take it as advice for the future.

Thanks a bunch!


	6. Chapter 6

***WILL***

Will's eyes inched open as he steadily started to wake up. Wonder Woman's last words to him had been rattling inside his head, invading his dreams. " _I promise,_ " she had said. Will couldn't explain it, but he felt that out of everyone he had ever met, Wonder Woman was the only person that he could trust to always tell the truth. It was both comforting, and unsettling. As he woke up, he began to take in his surroundings. He was lying on a medical examination table in a small, dimly lit room, and was covered in a warm blanket. What was different though, is that there were no tubes or needles hooked up to him. Though the sedative had been taken out, he was unable to move himself into a sitting position. In the background he could hear the rumbling of some kind of machinery, but was unable to place the sound. As he looked around the small yet efficient layout of the room, everything began to shake violently. After a couple of seconds, the shaking stopped and the dull rumbling ceased, allowing the silence to creep into the room.

" _What the hell?_ " he thought to himself. The solid metal door to the room slid open allowing a bright light to enter. Through the door walked Superman. He looked at Will intently before looking over his shoulder.

"Diana, he's waking up!" he whispered urgently through the open door.

"That's impossible!" she replied, barely audible from where she was shouting/whispering. Then she spoke again much more audibly with her head peeking out from behind the doorway. "I only took out the sedative a half hour ago."

"He's as stubborn as Batman." Superman commented. "Maybe THAT'S his super power. Stubbornness."

"You don't want to touch that topic, not even with x-rays. You go find Batman inside. He came here earlier to make sure everything is ready, which includes measures to prevent him from leaving."

"Is that really necessary?" Superman asked. "Would he really try to escape?" Both Superman and Wonder Woman looked down at Will with sympathetic eyes, thinking that he was still too sedated to hear or see them and failing that, too out of it to understand them.

"Hopefully not." Diana said, finally breaking the silence. "But he's had a troubled past, more so than most. Besides, we ARE kind of trying to keep in in one place. Keeping people prisoner does make them want to escape."

"We're not keeping him prisoner."

"I know that Kal, but he might not see it the same way. Anyway, you go find Batman and make sure that everything is in order, I'll take Will in once he's ready to be moved." Superman nodded and left the room. Diana sat down in a chair and looked down at Will.

"Where are we?" Will growled. He'd had enough of people keeping him down. He was a fighter, and a good one at that. He was threatening, dangerous. In the short time that he'd had on the streets of Gotham, he'd made a small name for himself. Nothing to get too much attention, but enough that criminals and citizens alike would cross the street to avoid walking within five feet of him. It was about damned time that people treated him like who he was. Like the weapon that he was raised by Cadmus to be, not like an injured kitten. Diana's expression didn't change.

"We're on a Javelin. It's a-"

"I know what it is." Diana half-smiled at his interruption before continuing.

"We're at Wayne manor, which is where you will be staying until other accommodations have been made."

"So Batman's going to be keeping an eye on me?" Will rolled his eyes. "Fun." Diana however was taken aback.

"You know Batman's identity?"

"It makes perfect sense. Enough money to get his equipment, enough publicity to rule him out as a potential Batman suspect, and a perfect motive to become a crime fighter. Also has a similar physical build." Diana smiled in amazement.

"You're right. But keep that to yourself, I would assume that goes without saying but still." Will just stared and waited.

Diana stood up and turned to have a look at a clipboard full of several documents - most likely Will's medical statistics. If there was ever a chance to escape, it was now, while Wonder Woman's back was turned. He silently pulled off the blanket and stood up, ignoring the sudden onset of nausea. He made his way to the door, but couldn't bring himself to walk through it. His whole life, people had been lying to him, manipulating him, turning him into something that THEY wanted him to be. But that had all stopped when he was captured by the league. Maybe for once he could fully trust somebody. Perhaps these people, these _heroes_ , didn't want to use him for personal advantage. Maybe he didn't have to run from them. Maybe they weren't his enemies. He swallowed the lump in his throat and turned his head slightly.

"I'll be inside," he said to the Amazon before walking out the door of the room. Wonder Woman rushed after him.

"Are you sure you're ready?" she asked. Will laughed inwardly at the many meanings that her question could take. Was he physically ready to be up and walking around? Yes. Was he mentally prepared for what his life was about to become after walking through the strong wooden doors of Wayne Manor? Yes. Was he ready to take the leap of faith and blindly trust someone who he had only met within the week? No. No, he was not ready for that at all. But sadly, it was out of his control."

"I'm fine, Wonder Woman. I'll be inside."

 ***DIANA***

Diana was on the Javelin, sorting cardboard boxes on top of each other so that she could carry them all in at the same time without them falling over. Bored, she decided to make a call.

"Wonder Woman to Batman, come in Batman."

"Batman here, what do you want?" Diana frowned.

"Manners, 'rich kid.' I was just going to ask if you knew that Will knows that you are Bruce Wayne."

"I did not know for sure, but I think he suspected it. I'm guessing that he knew for certain once you told him he was at Wayne Manor?"

"Yes. His emotions aren't easy to read, but I think that he was very proud about figuring that out."

"Anything else?" By the goddess, for someone raised by a gentleman such as Alfred, Bruce Wayne had terrible etiquette.

"Will should be inside any second now. I'll get the rest of my own personal items and follow him in there. Not to seem forward, but has a room been prepared for me?" Batman growled at that last sentence.

"Yes," he hissed. "But I would like to again remind you that I think that you being here is unnecessary."

"Duly noted and duly forgotten. While it might be unnecessary, I still want to be a part of his life. I want to see him grow up." Diana had finished stacking and was now flying towards the large double doors of Wayne Manor.

"He IS grown up, Diana. You've already missed that, and it wouldn't have been a pretty sight anyway, watching him grow in a test tube over a period of four months."

"There is still much of him to be developed besides the physical. So far he hasn't had enough life experience to define himself and that, arguably, is the most important thing about growing up." Diana could almost feel Batman nodding slightly. "And I want to be a part of that, I want to try to teach him right from wrong before he defines himself based on a corrupted sense of ethics."

"I could do that on my own Diana, why do YOU need to be a part of it?" Diana reached the double doors and put the boxes on the ground to knock twice with the heavy door knocker.

"Because while you on your own would teach him right from wrong, you wouldn't do much else. He needs more than just moral guidance, he needs parents. And in that sense Bruce, you are flawed." Hearing footsteps approaching from inside, she decided to end the conversation. "We'll finish this later Batman. Wonder Woman out." The doors opened with a loud groan as Alfred Pennyworth greeted the princess.

"Miss Diana, I was wondering when I would be seeing you." He looked down at the large boxes of her personal items. "Shall I have master Bruce or Master Clark assist you with those?" Diana picked up the boxes and smiled at the older gentleman.

"I think I can manage, thank you Alfred."

"Very well. Please, allow me to show you your room." Diana shuffled inside, shutting the doors with her foot, having both hands occupied, and followed the butler to where she would be staying.

 ***BRUCE***

Bruce Wayne stood in the living room, a large fire burning in the hearth. He stared patiently at the dark wooden doors that led to the main entrance of the mansion, which his 'guest' would be entering through at any moment. He had decided to dress in a white, long sleeved shirt and black pants. This way, he was dressed just like his public persona would at this late hour, the only difference being the same eternal scowl that Batman always wore. From where he stood, he could see the flames dance and leap within the stone fireplace. He could hear the crackle of that inferno. He could feel the heat it generated, moving throughout the room. He could feel a bead of sweat travelling down is neck. " _Wait... what_?" He wiped his neck with a handkerchief, and was surprised to find it dotted with several wet patches. Was he nervous? He shouldn't have been, he was only meeting a 16 year old boy.

" _It's more than that you idiot,_ " one part of him said. " _It's more than just some boy, more than just a mission or a target. It's your flesh and blood, your SON._ "

" _NO!_ " another part of him shouted. " _That's all that he is! A mission, a danger. A THREAT. And you need to be ready to take him down._ "

" _He isn't a threat. He is your child. More than that, he's the child of you and Diana. And he needs guidance, he needs help._ "

"Shut up." he said under his breath. These conflicting thoughts needed to be dealt with at a later time, it was getting in the way. The ornate handles of the double-doors turned, and the doors opened with a high pitched creak. And there he stood. Now that he'd had a haircut and was dressed in more appropriate clothing that wasn't ripped, torn, or dirty, Bruce thought that staring at Will was like staring into a mirror. They were wearing similar white shirts and black pants, they both had the same scowl, the same complexion of determination and intelligence. They looked at each other, eye to eye. They had the same blue eyes, but something more than just color, something Bruce couldn't put a finger on. Bruce put out his hand. Will looked down at his open hand, and then back at his face, looking for any emotion in his face. Will stretched out his hand and they shared a firmly gripped handshake.

"Will." He said with Batman's voice.

"Batman." Will replied with the same.

"Without a mask, call me Bruce." Will nodded once slowly. "Did you have any other belongings that you had hidden away somewhere that you would like me to collect? I went looking but you have covered your tracks very well."

"Everything important I had on me when you shot me with a taser. The only other things were a couple of loaves of bread and a small amount of money hidden underneath the floorboards of the homeless shelter."

"Which homeless shelter?" Will huffed once in a grim, humorless laugh.

" _Which homeless shelter_. A shame that Gotham needs more than one." Bruce nodded. "It was Grave: The home for the dying and forgotten." They both let that sink in. "Why am I here, _Bruce_?"

"So that I can make sure you're not a threat."

"I AM a threat, we both know that. Cadmus wouldn't make a blunt knife or a jammed gun. They trained me to hurt and kill people, and that's the only thing I'll ever be good at. So what are you going to do with me? Surely I'm not here to be kept in check for the rest of my life, there are prisons for that. So why am I HERE specifically?" Bruce breathed in deeply.

"Because we only send people to prison when it was their choice to break the law. You escaped a very much illegal organization and lived on the streets. While you were forced to break the law, it was not by choice, but by necessity. It was crime, or death: Survival. There is a chance for you in this world, more than just as a tool for others to use. Here, in this house, you are free to decide what and who you want that to be. And you can do that based on what YOU want, not what anyone else does, me or otherwise." Will paused to word his next question carefully.

"And what is it that you want me to be?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes." Bruce's eyes drifted in the direction of the grandfather clock in another room, before snapping back to Will's identical eyes.

"Follow me." On his way there he again tried to find that unknown thing that they both shared in their eyes. Same color... but what else? He turned his head to look at his son and those blue eyes just kept looking forward, running away from his gaze, like he was in... Pain. they had the same pain, the same anguish. Bruce looked back in the direction they were moving, trying to get the picture of those eyes out of his head.

Those haunted, dead blue eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Quick Word From Author: Trying out a new "system" for POV switches based on a comment from a viewer. If this new system isn't working / doesn't work for you, please let me know so that I can make changes to it._**

 ** _-Thanks_**

Will followed Bruce Wayne through the manor like a shadow. His eyes drifted from one thing to another, taking in the magnificence of the household. Once his host made his way towards an old grandfather clock, it became his center of attention and he looked at it intently. It seemed relatively normal, and it fit within the "theme" of the rest of the mansion. Old, but not outdated. Classical, perhaps. Still though, he didn't say a word. Upon reaching the grandfather clock, Bruce Wayne opened the glass cabinet and with his fingers turned the clock hands so it read 10:47. Immediately the whole intricate wooden masterpiece slid across the floor on unseen tracks to the left, revealing a heavily armored steel door. He then began to input another pass code on a keypad, and used a hand-scanner which then had the armored door slide to the right, opening a narrow staircase made of dark stone. Bruce then made his way in, not bothering to check if Will was following, which he was. As they neared the bottom, Will was able to hear the subtle screech of bats, and trace amounts of dripping water. Soon, the narrow passageway opened up into a great cavern, the ceiling of which was lined with hundreds of dark nightmare eyes. Looking down off the edge of the natural rock floor, Will saw an almost endless fall into darkness, and looking across the cave he saw a series of vehicles, odd monuments, and a large computer. Bruce paused and let Will take it all in. After a few moments, Bruce Wayne once again took the lead and made his way towards the computer which he fired up, creating a dull hum throughout the cavern. Sitting down in the master chair, he swiveled around to face Will.

"You asked me what I wanted you to be? This is it." Will looked at Bruce, then turned and looked more intently at the uniforms within the glass cabinets on the second "floor" of the cave. And then looked towards the unusual monuments scattered about the cavern. A giant penny, a mechanical Dinosaur, a glass case containing a scientific blue gun of some kind.

"You want me to be a hero." Will asked with one eyebrow raised curiously. Bruce nodded. Wills face contorted into a mixture of fake humor and an unbelieving skepticism before laughing dryly at the Batman's suggestion. Batman's face didn't waver and his expression didn't change as he waited for Will to finish. "That is the single stupidest thing I have ever heard."

"Why is that?" Will turned to find Wonder Woman flying down to join the two "mortals" on the ground. "It's not THAT unbelievable is it? Batman does it, and he is arguably a better hero than most other members of the league."

"Oh it's not for that reason. I have no doubt that I am physically up to the challenge of being a "super hero" but there's no way that I could be. No way."

"Why?" Batman asked.

"My reasons are my own."

"If you don't tell us why, then we won't be able to do anything about it anyway." Wonder Woman pressed on.

"You couldn't change it even if you knew, there's no point." Will looked back up towards the staircase that led back up to the manor. "I'm heading back up to the rest of the house. This life isn't for me." He started walking away from the giant computer and from the two heroes when Wonder Woman flew over his head and landed in front of him, blocking him from moving any further."

"Move." he demanded.

"Why, Will?"

"None of your business." He tried to move around her, but she kept moving in his way. "Get out of my way." She moved, but instead of allowing him to continue onward she instead took a step forward, forcing Will to take a step back towards the computer to avoid having his feet stepped on with Wonder Woman's super strength.

"Tell me." She pressed. Turning around, he found that Batman was now dressed in the cape and cowl, circling around him closer to the amazon, blocking off another large area that he could use to escape. " _They're putting me in a corner._ " He thought to himself. His eyes steeled in determination. " _Like hell I'm gonna be bullied like this._ " He stood tall and strode defiantly towards the gap in between the two heroes. He wasn't overly muscly at the moment, being deprived of quality food since his escape from Cadmus, but he was still large, and better yet he was _smart_. As he got close, the two heroes came closer together to block him off, so he quickened his pace and vaulted over them, landing in a sprint and bee-lining towards the stone steps. He could hear Batman's steps behind him and could feel a subtle gush of wind that he assumed was Wonder Woman flying. As he neared the stairwell, he heard a quiet _beep_ from behind him, and a thick steel door closed off the stairwell to him. He turned and found himself more cornered than before, and with absolutely no means of escape.

"Will..." Wonder Woman said. "We are trying to _HELP_ you, whether you believe it or not. But we can't help you if you don't tell us what's actually the problem."

"Trying to help me become what you want me to be? Sorry, try again."

"You aren't leaving until you tell us." Will looked at Batman who hadn't said a word for far too long. " _He's planning something. Gotta get out soon._ "

"The problem is that I was stolen by Cadmus. That enough for you?!" Wonder Woman and Batman locked eyes for a moment and turned to him to speak in unison.

"No." They begun to inch forward, getting closer and closer to Will. He moved back until his shoulders were against the cold hard steel and he had nowhere to go. Realizing that since they were justice league they wouldn't really hurt him, he relaxed a little. Up until he saw the syringe in Batman's hand, and the lasso of truth in Diana's. The liquid inside Batman's syringe was clear, and since that could pretty much be anything, he got anxious - especially since Wonder Woman wouldn't save him from any truth-serum this time, on the contrary she seemed to want to do the same thing with her lasso.

"Tell us." Wonder Woman urged. Seeing no way out, and feeling both uncomfortable and not himself, he broke down.

"I CAN NEVER BE A HERO BECAUSE CADMUS ALREADY MADE ME A VILLAIN." The silence that followed that sentence was deafening. Will slid down the steel wall until his knees were curled up tightly against his chest and his eyes began to water. "They... they wanted to turn me into a killer, so they made me kill innocent people as practice..." The two justice leaguers stood with wide eyes and mouths hung open. "Every day someone new, just an innocent faceless person from an innocent nameless place. And they would hand me a gun with just one bullet in the chamber and they would say 'just one more time, we promise' and for some stupid reason I... I fucking believed them." Wonder Woman took this pause as the only time she would get to interrupt.

"Will... I-"

"NO!" Will shouted, his despair quickly catching alight and burning with a fiery red anger. "YOU WANTED THIS, YOU CAN HAVE IT!" He stood up, the water gone from his blazing eyes. "I've killed _hundreds_ of people. Cadmus had me for four months before I escaped and I counted every life that I stole. One hundred and eighteen innocent people have died because of me." Will paused and when he again spoke he himself could feel the hatred behind his words. "And I enjoyed every single shot. They made sure of it. Every time I was handed a gun I was also given a nanobot drug dose, so as soon as I pulled the trigger a series of endorphins were released into my brain and I would feel like _god-like_ for hours _._ And I can't stand myself for it. Soon, I was begging, _BEGGING_ to get another go. Another bullet. And it tears me apart. You want to know why I can't be a hero? Why I won't accept a second chance at life? It's because I don't deserve the opportunity. I don't deserve to be forgiven." Suddenly, the steel doors behind Will slid upwards to reveal a well dressed gentleman standing on the last stone step, who without skipping a beat begun speaking in a heavy British accent.

"I could hear your _*ahem_ * conversation from the Library. I think it would be best if I showed Master Will to his room."

"Yes, Alfred, I think that would be best." Batman said.

"Very well, Master Bruce. Come along." Alfred accompanied Will up the stairs and into the manor, leaving Batman and Wonder Woman alone in the darkness.

 _ ***/***_

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Wonder Woman was pacing the floor of the Batcave in a heated conversation with Batman who was hunched over his desk, engrossed in his work on the Batcomputer.

"Seriously though Bruce, do you have to keep drugging him?"

"What are you talking about Diana?"

"Don't play dumb with me Bruce, I'm not an idiot." Batman sighed.

"That was progress Diana, no matter what way you look at it."

"Yes, but you shouldn't rely on drugs in order to get people to open up to you! How did you even do it?"

"If I didn't drug him, he wouldn't ever open up to anyone. We both know that. And in order to avoid him knowing that he was drugged I just laced all the air in the entire cave with it and gave myself the antidote."

"What about me?"

"Your amazon magic should prevent the majority of the effects, though I did use a lot more than I would usually and it almost didn't work at all. Just a testament to Will's strength of Will I suppose." Diana just shook her head slightly, dropping the argument she would never be able to win.

"And what about what Will said, Cadmus forcing him to kill people and him _enjoying_ it. Do you really think he can come back from that?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. He's broken Diana, and believe it or not that's a good thing. You don't do what we do if you're not broken and damaged in some major way."

"You're saying I'm broken?"

"I'm saying we're ALL broken." Diana wasn't about to let him go that easily.

"In what way am I broken Bruce?"

"In the way that you are simply unable to ignore other people's problems. When you see someone in pain, you help. When you see chaos, you spread peace. You are damaged because you cannot accept that anything else is damaged beyond reparation." Diana was quite surprised that Batman was sharing this much information of free will, but didn't show it in any way.

"That's not being broken, that's called having a conscience."

"Some things cannot be repaired. Some wounds cannot heal. The perfect example of this is Will. But you cannot accept that anything is without hope, so you dare to imagine a perfect world where everything can be fixed. That's more than a conscience. It's admirable, yes, but rather foolish as well. However, it is the reason that you became a hero. It's because you are broken in this way that you are so good at what you do. It makes the difference between a hero and a villain." Batman turned his head to look at Wonder Woman face to face.

"It's what makes you who you are." Now, Wonder Woman was getting suspicious. Batman had never connected this deeply with anyone, even her, despite all of her efforts. He knew that she had eyes for only him but even that didn't break down those walls he'd built to keep people out of his life. What changed?

"So you're saying that heroes, not villains, are the broken ones?"

"Heroes and villains are both broken. If they weren't, then they would be average citizens living average lives. But they are, and it is the way in which they are broken that determines whether they will be a hero or a villain." As Batman was talking it suddenly clicked. Batman had drugged all the air in the cave with a more than usual amount of his "truth-serum." He must have only given himself a normal dosage of the antidote. Diana was going to get as much out of this as she could.

"And what is Will going to be? If he is as you said, broken beyond repair, will he become a hero or a villain?" Batman looked back down at his desk and shook his head as he took off his cowl.

"I wish I knew Princess. He has the potential to be the greatest hero or the most dangerous villain, but I am unsure as to which side he is leaning towards. And that uncertainty is killing me." Diana couldn't help but begin to worry for the Dark Knight. She walked up behind him to put a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Bruce, we'll figure it out." Batman turned again and their eyes connected. And in his eyes, Wonder Woman saw something that she had never seen before in the Batman. He was afraid. Not knowing what else to do, she moved her face in closer to his and their lips connected. Batman pulled her in close so that their bodies touched and they stood there in the darkness, enjoying the warmth that the closeness of their bodies brought. Diana reached up with her hands and grasped the back of Bruce's head, pulling him in even further. He was allowing her to love him for the very first time, and he was even giving some back. It was _fantastic_. After a solid minute they broke off the passionate kiss, panting from lack of oxygen. Diana smiled, but Batman turned away to grab and put on his cowl, hiding behind the face of Batman.

"That was a mistake." Diana frowned.

"Was it really that bad?" Batman turned again, his eyes hidden underneath his mask.

"That was the literal best moment of my entire life, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a mistake." Diana was confused beyond measure.

"Then... why?"

"I have given you my reasons a hundred times Diana. I lost control, I..." Batman turned to look at another syringe that was on a table across the cave. He quickly walked over to it, and plunged it into his neck, allowing the clear liquid into his veins.

"What is-"

"Doesn't matter. The point is, you and I cannot be together. It won't work."

"You aren't even willing to give it a chance?"

"No, I'm not willing to give it a chance. Not at all." Diana couldn't believe this. It's almost as if he _wanted_ to be miserable his entire life, like he was so broken that... Diana's confused anger quickly turned to pity. She never thought that she would end up pitying Batman, but now she did. He WAS broken. He was so broken and damaged that he felt like he didn't deserve anything good in his life. He'd been alone and miserable for so long that he thought that it was the only thing he deserved. So he pushed away anything and anyone that ever got close to him. He was right, she couldn't ignore his need for help. That was why she loved him. And she would spend the rest of her life trying to fix him, trying to get close to him, even if it was impossible. Even if he couldn't be fixed. But for that she had to be patient, she'd made ground today with their first intimate contact, but the rest would have to wait.

"If that's your decision then fine. I'll be up in my room, if any important League business comes in then let me know." She turned and stormed towards the stairs back into the manor.

"Diana, there's one last important thing I need to tell you." She turned and waited impatiently.

"What." Batman breathed deeply.

"Tomorrow I'm going to tell him how he came to exist. Everything from how he's made from our DNA, to how he was grown in a glass tube, to the purpose of his creation being to eliminate members of the Justice League."

"Is that really a good idea? Telling him all that could make him reject the hero path completely."

"Or it could further bring him towards the hero path. Either way, he should know."

"You know," Diana said. "I'm surprised to hear this coming from you."

"So am I Diana. But if we don't tell him, he'll go looking for the answers himself and I won't risk him being recaptured by Cadmus." Diana nodded and turned to ascend the stone steps into the manor. She knew what she wanted in regards to Batman and Will, but she had no idea how to get there. If she was going to end up having the family she wanted, she desperately needed advice. And she knew where to start on that.

 ** _Okay, so that was the new POV switch style with the "_** _ ****/**"s as page breaks**_ ** _, if it isn't working for you either PM me or leave a comment. On a separate note, I was kinda confused as to how I would show possession of something to J'onn. It feels weird to put "J'onn's" in there. Any thoughts? So far I've just replaced it with "the Martian's" but I wanted to know what you guys think is the best way as well._**

 ** _-Thanks_**


	8. Chapter 8

Will was sitting at the end of his large bed, holding his temples with his middle and index fingers. His eyes were closed tightly but his mouth had the same serene and emotionless expression as it usually did. He was desperately trying to fight off his annoying headache. It had started when he had woken up on the javelin, but it had slowly gotten worse, on the very edge of painful, as the seconds ticked by. The worst of it was that he had no idea what had caused it. Was it the shouting match he'd had with Batman and Wonder Woman, or Bruce and Diana, which ever one it is? He didn't think so, that was relatively tame in comparison to the rest of his experiences. Was it a physical cause? He had been deprived of proper food for quite some time while living on the streets, perhaps that was the reason? No, that too didn't fit. Alfred had offered to make him something after he'd left the Batcave and he'd politely accepted. And he would wager that Alfred's food was nutritionally sound. He liked Alfred. The little he knew about the man was only good things. But still, what did that leave as the cause of this headache? He put his hands down and kept his eyes closed, drifting into his own head.

 _Drip._

" _What?_ " he thought to himself.

 _Drip._

Will stood up and looked around the room for the source of the noise. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, both thankful for the distraction and trying to concentrate on only using his ears.

 _Drip_.

Will's eyes shot open and he stared at a red spot on the black carpet next to his left foot. " _What the...?_ " He waited, and moments later he saw a single red droplet fall from the tips of his fingers. Blood. Following the trickle of blood, he found that he had several red scratch marks across his left arm, like he'd been clawed at by a large cat.

" _How in the world did this happen?_ " Deciding to check himself over, he found that it was mirrored on his right arm as well, and even on his bare chest, though the skin hadn't been broken anywhere other than his left forearm. He let his hands fall back to his sides as he walked to the bathroom to wash away the warm substance from his arm. Halfway there however, the ever faint presence of pain shot up his arm. His pain tolerance was incredible, he suspected Cadmus had a hand in that, but it was there. Looking back down at his hand, he found that he was actually scratching furiously at his own skin. This alarmed him. This new symptom paired with his headache severely cut down the possible causes, and the one that had the most relevant to him was withdrawal symptoms from narcotics. He may have been chemically put unconscious one too many times, but while it was common for people to get these symptoms from painkillers such as morphine, substances that put one unconscious were not commonly included. He paused his train of thought.

" _How did I know that?_ " Deciding to worry about it later, he forged onward. What other drug had he been subjected to over a long period of time. Perhaps something in the air, or something on his clothes or... His face fell. " _No... Not that..._ " There was only one drug he'd been continually taken for a continued period. The endorphins back at Cadmus. They had slowly given him a natural pleasure response from executing people, and he hadn't killed anyone in a _long_ time. And while HE didn't want to kill anyone, his body had other ideas.

He was _addicted_ to murder. His body _wanted_ him to kill. Soon, _he_ would want him to kill. And as time passed, he would only want it _more_. He fell to his knees with dread, and under his own breath made a promise to himself that resonated throughout his very being.

" _As I have fallen, so will Cadmus._ "

 _ ***/***_

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Alfred Pennyworth stalked the empty halls of the manor with no real destination in mind. He was rather bored, but also overcome with anxiety. He was worried for almost everyone that ever stepped foot into the Manor. He felt that it was his duty both to Thomas and Martha Wayne, and the rest of Gotham and to an even greater extent, the world. He worried for Master Bruce on a daily basis, and the same went for Masters Richard and Tim. He worried for Miss Barbara too, though as Oracle she was not directly involved in the physical side of crime fighting. He had also worried for Master Jason. His... _return_... had unsettled him deeply, though he did not let it show. More recently, he had begun to worry about Master Kent and Miss Diana. Master Kent was in all regards Batman's best friend, and that was saying something as Batman despised Superman profoundly. Miss Diana didn't come by as often as Master Kent... at the beginning... but as time passed she visited these hallowed walls many times. He had begun a rather nice friendship with the Amazon over that time, and so he would begin to worry. He worried that one day Superman or Wonder Woman would not be able to defeat their respective foe's. He worried that they would one day go into battle, and not come back out.

These past few weeks however, he had begun to worry for Miss Diana for a different reason entirely. Through his years aiding the Batman he had become observant, and he could see a great deal. He could see that Miss Diana was truly in love with Master Bruce, and he worried for her. Pursuing a relationship with Bruce Wayne, the REAL Bruce Wayne, was far more challenging than any physical battle. He had seen many try, and he had seen just as many fail. And each one had left scarred and broken on the inside. He dared to hope that Wonder Woman would be able to hold her own against the true stubborn nature of the Batman's mind, but deep down he doubted it. Even so, he would do anything in his power to aid her in the attempt.

But how could he forget the most recent addition to the vast amounts of people that he worried for: Will. Will _Wayne_. He had been "briefed" about Will's true upbringing, and had heard everything that the boy had screamed down in that cave. He was genuinely surprised that half of Gotham didn't hear those strong loud words. Even so, he had decided then and there that he would try his absolute best to welcome the boy into the household not as a member of the "Bat-clan" as Commissioner Gordon called them live on television, but as a member of the Wayne family. Will was a tragic miracle. He was created through dark science for a sinister purpose, but his creation may end up saving the world, and may even be the final spark that ignites that all important flame in the relationship of Batman and Wonder Woman. And anything he could do to make Will's life more enjoyable, he would do.

By coincidence, he happened to be walking down the hallway containing Master Will's room when he heard a dull thud. Will's was the only room that currently had anyone inside it, and so Alfred made his way towards his room to investigate. He approached the door, his footsteps echoing down the hall in both directions, and rapped on the door with his knuckles.

"Master Will, are you alright?" It took moments for a reply to come.

"Yes, Alfred. I'm fine, thank you." Alfred's eyes narrowed. He was always able to tell when Master Bruce was lying, and the two were extremely alike. He grasped the handle, but was unable to open the locked door.

"Master Will, I do not appreciate anyone in this household lying to me. There is not _one_ _inch_ of this place that I do not have access to, and one way or another I _will_ find out whatever it is you are hiding." He hated that he had to be so direct and demanding, but understood that it was necessary. It was the only way that people like him and Master Bruce truly understood and responded to. Alfred heard a faint _click_ , and the door opened just a crack. Pushing the door fully open, Alfred was stopped in his tracks by the blood on the floor, the scratch marks all over Will's body, and the grieved look on Will's face. He steeled his complexion and turned to close and locked the door before taking a seat on a chair to the side of the room.

"The beginning, if you would."

 _ ***/***_

 _ ***/***_

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Bruce Wayne still sat in the Batcave, typing away furiously at the Batcomputer. After Wonder Woman had left, he had been notified via Oracle of a new drug lord possibly trying to make ground in Gotham. Since then he had been working relentlessly in researching the man in question. He had been so focused and immersed in his work that he almost didn't hear Alfred walking towards him. Almost.

"What is it Alfred?" He said to the older gentleman. Alfred cleared his throat.

"Dinner will be served in 20 minutes. I suggest you change and put on something more suited to tonight's guests." Batman growled. Of all the things that he had to put up with, the thing he dreaded most was having dinner with Diana and Will. So much uncertainty, so much confusion. Relationships just complicate things. Even so, he had a job to do.

"Sorry Alfred, I'm going to have to cancel. I've heard news that a couple of A-class metahumans have recently broken out of-"

"I'm sorry sir, but I will not accept that as an answer." Batman turned and stared down the man standing in front of him.

"One dinner is not as important as an entire city."

"Master Dick is already on his way to patrol Gotham tonight." Batman turned back to the computer screen.

"Call him and tell him to go home, I am perfectly-" he was stopped by Alfred's hand on his shoulder. Batman turned and locked eyes with him. Alfred wasn't scared or angry, but he displayed a knowing concern. " _What do you know_?" He asked.

"Enough. Enough to know that you must stay within the Manor tonight. Not for you, but for everyone _else_ in the Manor." Batman paused and let that sink in. It wasn't often that Alfred insisted on him to do anything like this, but when he did it was always best to heed his advice.

"Very well Alfred. I'll be ready in five minutes." Alfred nodded once and left the cave, his footsteps echoing throughout the cave. Batman was not looking forward to this.

 _ ***/***_

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Wonder Woman was sat at a small wooden table positioned outside the manor. The last threads of sunlight shone gloriously, layering her in it's golden rays. The air was pleasantly cool, only the occasional subtle breeze that played with her long, jet black hair. All around the table, perfectly cut bushes in the shapes of various animals stood proudly, as if protecting them from some unseen evil. Directly across from her on the square table sat the one and only Bruce Wayne. It wasn't often that Diana was able to see the real him. Mostly it was either the playboy, or the bat, but never the man in between. She was quite disappointed in herself that she knew very little about him. He was determined, yes. She knew that from his work with the Justice League and from his work in Gotham. She knew that he was intelligent as well, though that too she learnt from his time as the Batman. But she didn't know much about _him_. His favorite food. His favorite novel. Did he like cats, or dogs? One way or another though, she planned to find out. She was brought out of her thoughts from a scratching sound from the third member at the table, Will. She turned and found him scratching at his wrists under his long sleeved shirt. Bruce had noticed as well and the two of them watched their child intently. He noticed them watching him and stopped scratching, but both Bruce and Diana knew that he was doing intentionally, and that he was struggling to stop himself.

"When can I leave this place?" Will asked her, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Where do you have to go?" She asked him.

"I don't need somewhere to go. I was doing perfectly fine on my own."

"You were stealing things to support yourself." Bruce said. "You did THAT well enough, but it's still against the law."

"And you've never broken the law before?" Bruce's face became stone. It was incredible to watch, as if Diana could _see_ Bruce Wayne turn into the Batman.

"I stop criminals. I save lives. In this city, I enforce the law beyond what the police can. Do not question my intentions again." Will held his own against Batman's gaze.

"Let me leave. Let me live my own life."

"But is that what you want?" Diana asked. "Do you want to live that life? A normal life where your main concern is taxes and rent, letting your guilt and self-hatred eat at your soul for the rest of your life?" Will had nothing to say.

"And how do you plan on repenting for what you've done?" Bruce asked.

"I don't plan on repenting for what I've done," Will said as he began to scratch at his chest through his shirt.

"Then what do you plan on doing?" Diana asked.

"I plan on enacting justice upon all that have wronged me, and then enacting justice in the name of those I have wronged." The table became silent. Even the birdsong seemed to cease at the boy's words. Diana leaned over and put a supportive hand on Will's wrist.

" _There's a_ _better way._ " She whispered to him.

"If that is so, and there is another path, then I am too blind to see the way." Their conversation was then interrupted by Bruce, who pulled a beeping, buzzing rectangular device from his pocket. He clicked a button on the side with his thumb and held the device to his ear.

"Yes..." he looked at the rest of the people at the table. "Yes..." He waited a moment, until his eyes grew wide and his jaw clenched. "How many..?" "Even the lower levels..?!" "I'm on my way." He stood up from the table.

"What's happen-"

"I have received Master Dick's notice," Alfred said, appearing as if out of thin air. "And I bid you your leave. I shall have supper ready for you upon your return. Miss Barbara is waiting for you as well." The gentleman walked back into the manor, his footsteps echoing into the oncoming night.

"What is going on?!" Diana exclaimed.

"That was Nightwing. Livewire broke out every single Arkham inmate Diana. I need you in uniform Wonder Woman. Right now." He turned and looked at Will, his eyes cold. "You, follow me."

"Why?"

"Because I need as much help as I can get. You say you can't see the path? fine, I'll show it to you." Diana watched as Will answered the call. He stood from his seat and set his eyes. And just as the last piece of golden light disappeared beyond the horizon, the darkness overtook. Swift and merciless.

"Suit up."


	9. Chapter 9

Batman was in the driver's seat of the Batmobile, which was currently speeding out of the cave on route to Arkham. It was only in Gotham City that a mental health institution was more dangerous than a maximum security prison. Blackgate Penitentiary had remained almost untouched in comparison to Arkham Asylum over the years, and today that remained true. Only the Arkham "patients" had been released into the city. In the passenger seat sat Will, clad in a second, older, more bulky version of the cape and cowl that Batman wore. In the darkness, the car's front windshield acted as a mirror and looking into it, Batman saw the two of them sitting side by side. They were distinguishable only from the difference in uniform. Wonder Woman had elected to fly above, using her incredible eyesight to help Oracle to provide information to the two "Batmen." She thought that it was important for Gotham to know that it's own dark knights can handle anything that they came across. Batman was surprised that she had said this, but had said nothing in return. She usually berated him for taking risks on his own and without backup, often ending up storming away in frustration, so while this change in perspective was welcome, it was not without skepticism. As they neared the Asylum, Barbara Gordon's voice was heard over Batman's communicator.

"Oracle to Batman, are you receiving?"

"Yes, Oracle." Came his response. "Where to first?"

"Wonder Woman and I have prioritized meta classes A through C to you, Nightwing and, umm..." Batman looked at his almost-twin to his right.

"For tonight, call him Shadow." Batman could visualize Oracle nodding. The name "Shadow" was given by them to any individual that was to remain safely anonymous, and currently the name fit well.

"Sure thing. I've currently got Nightwing securing the more dangerous non-meta inmates, but I'm sending the two of you immediately to Bane. Forwarding the coordinates to you now."

"Understood," Batman grunted not bothering to say thank you. "Batman, out." The world returned to the blackened silence that it was before. Both Batman and Shadow stared into the endless abyss before them, not saying a word, not moving an inch. The Batmobile sped onto the main streets towards the Asylum, the tall spires of the building complex visible through the skyscrapers of Gotham City. As they neared the Asylum, an older man in a brown trench coat became visible, standing on top of a police car and barking orders into a megaphone. Batman brought the Batmobile to a stop just as Commissioner Gordon finished up his message.

"You know the drill boys! Round 'em up and send them right back in!" Gordon walked onto the hood of the police car and back down onto the road on his way to greet Batman. What a surprise he was in for. Batman and Shadow exited the Batmobile and begun them walking towards Gordon, whose mouth was hanging open. They stopped before each other and a few moments of silence flew past.

"I won't ask," the Commissioner said, gesturing vaguely in the direction at the two Batmen. "Special Crimes is going in after all the normal inmates who've barricaded themselves in with hostages, men and women who worked in the Asylum, and I've sent a message to Metropolis for reinforcements. I suppose you'll be going after the less-than-normal folk?" Batman nodded.

"If you see Nightwing," he said tersely, "Tell him to get in contact."

"Will do Batman." Gordon replied. The commissioner turned and once again held up his megaphone to his mouth. "If any of you boys see Nightwing, tell him to find me!" He turned back to farewell the Bats, but once again was without company. " _Why does it keep surprising me that he does that?_ "

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Wonder Woman was hovering in mid-air, watching the chaos set before her. Gotham was always dark, which made the flames spreading across the city even more noticeable. From where she was she could see anything, and what she saw was a city in ruin. All across the city, petty thieves and normal people took advantage of the chaos caused by the Arkham breakout to pillage, steal, and vandalize anything that they pleased. It took everything that she had to not fly down and stop the violence. It went against everything that she stood for to sit back and watch as the city tore itself to pieces.

"Oracle to Wonder Woman, are you there?"

"Yes Oracle, I am here. Anything you need help with?"

"Ummm, yeah, there's a..." Oracle's voice was unsure and nervous. "Actually I just wanted to ask, who is that with Batman? I assume that you know but it really wouldn't surprise me if you didn't. It's just in Batman's nature to keep the truth from people." Diana smiled sadly at that last comment. It was most certainly in Batman's job description to lie to everybody, even those closest to him.

"I do know who he is, but it is not something that should be passed around."

"Of course Wonder Woman, I understand. Forget I asked."

"No," Diana said kindly. "No, it's not like that. I just meant it should be kept in the family. So far only five people know who he is, and that's including him. Batman, Superman, J'onn and I are the only others. But despite anything that Batman says you ARE a part of his family. You and Nightwing both."

"I wouldn't say _family,_ " Oracle argued. "I barely know him at all."

"And yet," Wonder Woman continued, "He knows you well. I trust his sense of judgement. You want to know who he is?" Diana smiled, wondering how she would react to the news. "He is my son," Oracle gasped, "And Batman is his father." Oracle went silent and Wonder Woman laughed quietly to herself. She returned her gaze to the city below, but was surprised to find another signal coming to her communicator. "Alfred, a pleasure as always. How can I help?"

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Will was sat in the darkness watching silently from an alleyway as Bane ran at a leisurely pace down the footpath towards him, unaware of his presence. Bane's heavy footsteps thudded across the ground, growing louder and louder with each subsequent step. Batman was on one of the buildings adjacent to and on the other side of the street. The plan was simple, but not easy. As Bane ran past both Batman and Will would attempt to sever the supply of Venom Steroids into Bane's major arteries and therefore major muscle groups, and would try to incapacitate him during the almost immediate weakness of Venom withdrawal. Will moved further into the ally and pulled out a razor sharp Batarang which he turned over in his hand, admiring the quality of the steel and readying himself for the fast approaching battle.

"On my mark." Batman whispered, his voice only slightly less rough than it usually was. Will pulled back his arm and prepared himself for the all important throw. His brain went into sixth gear, subconsciously calculating everything he needed to all in the span of a few moments. Bane was roughly 6 feet 8 inches meaning his neck was around 5 feet 7 inches, moving at around 3.5 meters a second... "Mark." He was concentrating so hard he almost missed it, but it got through and he released the projectile. Will could see it spinning through the air, the cold, heartless steel making it's way towards Bane who ran into its path. The Batarang hit its mark, only to bounce harmlessly off of the reinforced steel deliverance tube. Bane had strengthened it to prevent this exact situation. The mammoth of a man slowed and turned towards him, staring him down. " _The old way then,_ " Will thought to himself as he sprinted towards the masked criminal. Bane laughed as he approached, bending his knees and getting into a fighting stance. As he got closer, Will launched himself up, and pushed off the wall of the alleyway before planting his feet into Banes face. The behemoth roared in pain and staggered backwards, but Will, the Shadow of the Bat pressed his attack. Methodically, and relentlessly, Will's fists connected with various body parts left exposed by his enemy. One to the throat, one in between the ribs and into the diaphragm, one at the nerve bundle in his left deltoid. The endless stream of attacks were wearing him down as he desperately tried (and failed) to block any of Will's attacks. But even charged up with the maximum amount of Venom it wasn't enough. Will was faster, smarter, and stronger than his counterpart, and Bane was losing the battle. But luck had other ideas. In his blind fury, Bane managed to make a connection that sent Will flying into the brick wall of the alleyway, cracking several of the bricks.

"Where the hell is Batman?" he asked rhetorically to no one in particular. Looking over Bane's shoulder and into the street he saw Batman fighting off several Gotham Police Officers with glowing green eyes. Ivy. " _I guess I'm on my own._ " Will looked at his enemy, saw how he stood, how he held himself. So far Will had been holding back, afraid of going to far. But Bane wouldn't hold back, and so he wouldn't either. Once more Will rushed towards Bane, his black cape gliding behind him, and ushered a righteous yet menacing scream as he crashed into the criminal. Again he took the upper hand, again he had the advantage, and within sixty seconds Bane was on his knees. Will pulled out a small plastique charge and wrapped it around the Venom delivery tube. He then stood back and pressed a red detonator button. Suffice it to say Bane went flying and the tube was broken. Bane was beaten.

...

Will looked down at the limp, battered body of his enemy, adrenaline coursing through his system. The Venom Steroids wore off and Bane seemed to shrink as his body weakened. There was a familiar pounding in Will's head as he looked down. A familiar gut feeling that told him to savor this moment. It took too long to figure out what it was. That feeling. That feeling of pure power and control, the ability to end or save a persons life. _The Cadmus tailored feeling of ending that life._ It was so close now, right within his grasp. It had been too long. Far too long since the last time he felt this way. Will pulled out another, longer Batarang and held it against Bane's throat.

" _This will be magnificent,_ " a part of him said.

" _NO,_ " said another. " _We've already killed to many._ "

" _It's so close..._ _Just reach out._ "

" _Don't do it, don't condemn yourself further_." Will clenched his teeth and tightened his wrist as his own body went to war against itself. His self control could not hold out much longer though. He was slipping. Falling. It was too late. But in his ear, another voice was heard. A godly voice, pure and hopeful.

"Don't do it Will." He looked up to see Wonder Woman hiding in the dark clouds, looking right at him. "Alfred told me everything Will. Nothing I say can fix the fact you're body is suffering, but you have people around you that can help. Bruce, Dick, Barbara and I, we're all here. You can trust us Will. You may be suffering, but don't suffer alone." Will looked at her a moment more before turning back to the unconscious criminal beneath him. He forced his eyes shut and shouted into the street, before throwing the knife in his hand over the buildings and out of sight. His whole body ached, not from the fight with Bane but the fight with himself.

"Thank you, Wonder Woman. Without you I fear I may have gone too far. I'm sorry." Wonder Woman nodded at him in the distance, before flying back into the heavens. Will hated needing people. Hated that feeling of helplessness. But now more than ever he needed help. This time HE needed to be saved. Needed to be stopped. But he was a weapon made by Cadmus, who could possibly stop him?


	10. Chapter 10

Will cuffed the unconscious Bane to a sturdy waterpipie and looked at the scene playing out around him. Ivy's mind-controlled civilian army had moved steadily down the street, chasing the ever-elusive Batman. Will quickly climbed an apartment building and surveyed the rest of the city. The fires had spread, the sirens were growing louder and the many Arkham inmates had fled to their usual hideouts. Depending on how Nightwing and the cops were doing, they had collectively only taken out three or four of the more dangerous meta-humans.

" _This place is doomed,_ " he thought to himself. " _How does Batman fight day after day for this nightmare city? Or more specifically, why? Fighting for a cause is one thing but fighting for a lost cause is quite another._ " Will shook the thought out of his mind and brought his attention to the matter at hand. Batman was in the distance ducking and weaving through a crowd of green-eyed civilians while Ivy herself was being carried by a huge group of vines almost like a chariot. He bridged the gap between the apartment complex and the adjacent building with a effortless leap and speedily made his way towards Ivy, cloaked by the darkness. Upon reaching the building closest to Ivy, he heaved himself over the handrail and fell silently through the air, his heel connecting firmly with Ivy's cheek, causing her to fly, unconscious, off of her vine chariot. The vines began to wither and die, but the civilians infected with Ivy's spores were still chasing after Batman.

"Use the damn antitoxin," Will spoke firmly into the communicator in his mask. Batman then took out what looked like a water gun with a jet black paint job and sprayed a cloud of purple gas into the group of infected civilians. They quickly began to fall to the ground clutching their heads from the instant onset of a major headache. Batman cuffed Ivy and walked over towards Will with her in fireman's carry, but instead of stopping to talk just kept walking past him.

"Everyone else will have found some place to hide by now. Take the car and head back to the cave while I take Ivy and Bane to Gordon. When you get there tell Alfred I'll be late." Batman said all this without looking at him, or checking if he was listening. As Batman faded into the darkness, Will turned and walked in the other direction. As he walked, the civilians looked up at him, and he could see the awe in their eyes. The gratitude. The thanks. The respect.

" _Do I deserve this praise?_ " He asked himself. He didn't think so. That's not how the world works, one good deed does not cancel out one horrible deed, of which he had plenty. But still he wondered, " _Batman and Wonder Woman seem sure that at some point I can redeem myself. But who decides that? Who decides when I have made up for what I've done?_ " That was a question for another time though. Will picked up his pace and faded into the Gotham night, leaving people wondering if he was ever truly there at all.

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Will hammered his foot onto the Batmobile's accelerator and raced down the road and straight off the cliff. The Batmobile flew through the waterfall in front of the cave, engine roaring and exhaust blazing, and bridged the gap between the rocky cliffs. The free-fall lasted all of about three seconds, before the wheels once again had solid ground beneath them. Will then switched gear and pressed down hard on the brake pedal, causing the wheels to screech in uproar. Will's seat belt squeezed tight against his chest as the car quickly slowed down to a perfect stop on the rotating circle in the middle of the Batcave, which spun the car 180 degrees to face the exit to the cave. Looking out the dark window, Will could make out four people watching him from just beyond the circle he was parked in. Alfred, Wonder Woman, one that could only be Nightwing (who was in a black and blue uniform) and a young woman with red hair that sat in a wheelchair that he guessed was Oracle. Will unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car, heading towards the group of spectators. As he neared them, it was Nightwing that broke the silence.

"Batman, between the police, you, shadow and myself, we only managed to capture four Arkham inmates. Ivy, Bane, Freeze and Dent." As he walked, Will grasped his head and pressed the two hidden buttons in his armored cowl with his thumbs, which caused sections of the black material to press outwards with a hiss, and allowed him to remove it from his face.

"Batman?" Oracle asked him from he wheelchair.

"No, not Batman." He replied. This earned him a wide eyed look from both Nightwing and Oracle.

"You really weren't kidding Alfred," Nightwing said. "He's almost a carbon copy of the old man."

"Almost," Oracle said. "There are differences... Bruce is actually slightly smaller."

"Yeah there is that," Nightwing continued, "But I mean, look at him! He's-" Alfred cleared his throat putting a stop to the bickering between Nightwing and Oracle.

"I expect Master Bruce shall be late?" Will nodded. "Not surprising. Even so, I do not believe that you have been properly introduced," Alfred began. "Master Will, please meet Master Dick and-"

"I know." Will cut in. "Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon." He walked forward and held out his hand to Dick who smiled, took off his mask and shook his hand firmly, and then to Barbara who did the same. "My name is Will. I wasn't given a surname, though it's rather obvious what it would be if I had one." Even though no humor was intended, it still earned a chuckle from both teenagers. Wonder Woman then stood forward and turned towards him.

"Now that all _that_ is over and done with, how about you and Dick change and we all head upstairs to talk and enjoy some warm drinks?"

"Sounds good to me," Dick said, speeding towards the stairwell and yelling, "First one there gets marshmellows!" Wonder Woman took off in pursuit with a wicked grin from cheeck to cheeck and Alfred shook his head and smiled before walking slowly and steadily after them. Will strode confidently after them with Barbara wheeling herself along next to him.

"Hey uhhh, Will, Wonder Woman told me a little bit about you but I was just wondering..." Her voice trailed off, waiting for a response.

"Go ahead. If Batman trusts you, then so do I. Ask anything you want, though I can't promise that I'll answer every question. Both for your sake, and for mine." Barbara let that die down before finally asking her question.

"How old are you really? Wonder Woman said that your growth was accelerated, but by how much?" Will huffed in amusement. " _THAT'S what she wants to know?_ " Then it clicked. " _She's being polite, not digging too deep._ " The courtesy made him genuinely smile, though not enough to be noticed by anyone. " _Finally, someone who treats someone nicely even if they are a complete stranger. She doesn't want to force me to give anything away, but the politeness deserves a little more depth than is required..._ "

"I was... engineered, I suppose, by a shadow organization within the United States Government called Cadmus. Have you heard of them before?"

"Yeah, sure. Batman gave me the short version a while back after the watchtower was stormed by the... what was it, the Ultimen I think?"

"Good. Well _they_ went around and gathered some DNA from both Wonder Woman and Batman, threw them together, modified it a little bit, and put what was formed into a growth acceleration pod. I..." Will stopped moving just before the stairs and looked around. "There isn't and elevator around is there?" Barbara laughed.

"There used to be, but some stray explosive batarangs from Dick fixed that. I got Wonder Woman to carry me down here." Will smiled a little awkwardly, but covered it extremely well.

"You wouldn't mind if...?" It took a moment for her to get his meaning. She laughed cheerfully, her cheeks going a rosy shade of red.

"No, not at all. Be my guest." Will handed her his armored cowl and scooped her up with ease in one arm, while folding and picking up her wheelchair with the other. She hugged his chest to keep balance and he made his way up the long starwell with no change in stride.

"Continuing from before," he started, "I was in the pod for four months when they let me out. At that point I was biologically 15 years old, though about 2 months away from 16. They kept me at the Cadmus compound performing... experiments... and had intended to do that for something like 2 years, but I broke out after four months."

"Were you aware of things going on around you while in the pod?" Barbara asked.

"No. I have a perfect memory, and the first thing I remember is that pod being drained of green fluid and me coughing out the same. But even then I already knew how to read, write, talk and understand fifteen different languages. I already knew how to fight better than Batman does, and I already had expert knowledge in almost all areas of life."

"Do you know why that is?"

"No, no idea at all."

"So you've only really been alive for, what? Four months?" Will reached the top of the stone steps and walked through the already open secret entrance behind the grandfather clock. He put down and unfolded Barbara's wheelchair and gently sat her down into it. She handed him his cowl and they took off towards the grand hallway with the biggest ornate steps to the second floor of the manor.

"Closer to six months actually. After I escaped from Cadmus I was on my own for two months. Had to steal everything I needed because no one would hire someone with no confirmation of identity, no connections, and a face that freaks people out because I look similar but not identical to Bruce Wayne." Barbara sad nothing but her expression spoke volumes. "Head to the living room," he told her as he started to ascend the marble steps. "I'll be down in a minute once I'm out of this uniform." Barbara smiled and wheeled off to the living room. Will continued climbing the steps to the second floor, glad that Oracle hadn't asked about information with more... condemning... implications.

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As Barbara wheeled through the doorway towards the living room she was surprised to find Wonder Woman leaning against the wall waiting for her.

"Wonder Woman, hey. Were you... waiting for me?"

"Yes I was," she replied. "And please, call me Diana."

"Sure thing Diana. What can I help you with?"

"Just wondering what you thought about him now that you've been properly introduced."

"He's..." She had to pause to find the perfect word to describe him. "He's intense." Diana nodded.

"An accurate description."

"But it's like everything he says has no... "Uuumph" coming from it, you know? It's a little like Batman, but even Batman can add a little emotion to what he's saying."

"I see it too."

"He's so much like Bruce," Barbara continued, "Though..."

"Though what?" Diana asked.

"Though it kind of troubles me that even though he had never met either of you, he shares so many traits with Bruce, and almost none with you." Diana sighed wistfully.

"It troubles me also. I would not expect to see many physical similarities beyond hair and eye color which we both have in common, but in a more emotional way he is so much more like Bruce than I."

"I don't know much about him, Barbara started, "But I assume that what happened to him in Cadmus was not pleasant."

"An understatement."

"Then maybe it's the trauma? Maybe they both just reacted to the trauma in the same way, causing them to be so similar?"

"Maybe," Diana said. "Though either way, I hope to relieve him of that lingering distress."

"I hope you do Diana. You have your work cut out for you though, if he's truly like Batman he's not going to give in easily."

"No, but I welcome the challenge." Both women laughed softly. "One more thing Barbara."

"Anything," Barbara replied.

"I couldn't help but notice that Will carried you up the stairs." Barbara blushed and attempted to end the conversation by wheeling off towards the living room. "I know that you know there is a working elevator into the cave," Diana raised her voice, not moving from her position."So why'd you get him to carry you?" Without looking back Barbara yelled her response.

"You know why Diana! Just look at him!" Even from down the hall Barbara could hear Diana's laughter, chasing her through the Mansion.


End file.
